Baiser le Murmure
by demuredays
Summary: Due to her Mothers sudden departure to leave for Italy, arrangements had been made to stay for eighteen year-old Florence to stay at the Hellsing Manor with her cousin, Integra Hellsing. Given her fathers history with Interga, Florence is quite wary of the intimidating women. And unknowing to her, Integra isn't the only creature in the manor the young women should be cautious of.


Her thighs were pressed against the rickety leather chair as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt, the air in tiny office smelt dusty, stale and unfamiliar, only adding to her anxiety. Flicking her eyes to the side she examined the environment around her, it was old building painted in a pale yellow/white and the outside looked more like a house rather than a therapists office.

It had been nine am when she had strolled out into cool autumn, telling her mother that she was on her way to library to meet with friends. Florence felt bad for lying but the eighteen year old wasn't sure if she could admit to her mother that she where she was really going. Perhaps it was silly to hide something like this from her, but given her families prideful nature, she thought it was a rather black spot upon their name if they found out that she might be insane. Maybe she was being over-dramatic but the series of events that had happened just a little after her eighteenth birthday had left her paranoid and anxious.

"Miss Hellsing, I'm sorry for the wait. But I'm ready to see you now anyway" came an even voice as Florence winced as they used her last name, turning her gaze from the window her grey hues meet a pair of calm brown eyes.

So this was William Alexander, she expected a frail elderly man but instead she was faced with a fresh faced brunette who looked like he was straight out of college, she hadn't expected her therapist to be so young, perhaps this wasn't a good idea.

Noticing her hesitation he smiled softly "Are you coming Miss?"

Being pulled from she quickly jumped up "Oh y-yes" she stuttered hastily as she grabbed her bag and followed him down the hallway.

Nervousness gripped her stomach as they walked into a small, plain room, a few pictures of flowers hung on the pale grey walls and matching oak furniture was neatly placed around the room. Sitting on the hard chair, she shifted uncomfortably as he followed suit.

"So what brings you here today, Florence?" he murmured as aimlessly tapping his pen against his thigh, a curious look entering his eyes as he took all of her in. And then she'd seen that curiosity change to utter blankness, startled neutrality.

It didn't matter. People usually gave Florence two looks, one for the long, straight fair hair and the clear gray eyes... and one for the birthmark.

It slanted diagonally beneath her left cheekbone, pale strawberry color, as if someone had dipped a finger in blusher and then drawn it gently across Florence's face. It was permanent-the doctors had removed it twice with lasers, and it had come back both times.

Florence was used to the stares it got her.

William cleared his throat suddenly, startling her. She looked back at him.

"You said over the phone that you were hearing voices and experiencing visions?" he probed with raised eyebrow "Could you please elaborate on that?"

Dear god, she felt judged which was silly considering his profession, he had probably heard some outlandish things. Still it didn't stop an embarrassed blush to cover her cheeks as she swallowed and gave a slow nod. "Yes well you see, Iv'e been seeing a woman and she often... _whispers_ things to me" she murmured.

She watched him hurriedly jolt down notes before looking up her again with to Florence's surprise with a calm and calculating look "And what does she say?"

"I don't know"

"You don't know?"

"She speaks...in another language" Florence said through her teeth.

William blinked for a few moments as he tapped his pen faster "But you said you felt like she was-"

"Warning me, I know but I still can't understand what shes saying" Florence said. Rapidly blinked, the words began to gurgle in her throat and flow out in gasping bursts, unstoppable. "She just sits there staring and whispering, she always sounds worried and urgent. I suppose the language sounds...European, god I don't know" she said with exasperated sigh, slumping back in her chair.

All she wanted was a grasp back at her normal life, she wanted to be her again. She wanted to graduate from school. Wanted to spend the winter staying up till midnight drinking and laughing with Maria, wanted to wake up on Sunday mornings to the smell of her mother burning breakfast. It was funny how strange dreams, visions and voices had turned that life paranoid and frivolous. Florence was slowly becoming drained and all she wanted was help.

She stopped, gulped and looked back at William with an tired look. His eyes weren't analytic now; they were brown and boyish as he gave her tentative look. "Look Florence, I know all of this frightening but I think the answer to your problem isn't as big as you're expecting."

Florence's eyebrows knitted together as she watched him carefully, hope and confusion gripping at her nerves. "...Really?" she questioned, hesitation echoing in her words.

Smiling softly, William stood up and paced over to the slim laptop that sat a top his desk and began vigorously typing as he began speaking. "Yes, you see-" He murmured pausing as the printer began to splutter out a document "It simply sounds like your exhausted and stressed out, so I hope I'm correct in saying this was has probably induced the visions."

Florence blinked for a moment, processing what he had said, _was that really it?_ Embarrassment and relief flooded through her has she let out a huff. For the most part she forced herself to believe him, pushing aside the little part of her that screamed at the idea of it being so simple, but of course it was, she had only overreacted.

Plucking the document from the teeth of the computer, he handed it to her "You said you were having trouble sleeping, so this should help and hopefully put a stop to everything else"

Her eyes flickered briefly across the page, _required to take an hour before going to rest with heavy meal, side effects may include dizziness, cold like symptoms and headaches,_ before falling on the word _Lunesta._ Florence _n_ arrowed her eyes as she thought she recognized, she wondered if was the same medication she use to see by her mothers bedside. But after her father died the pill bottles and bruises that littered her skin disappeared.

When she was younger she often thought the marks on her mothers skin were from her being so clumsy, believing the lies that were fed to her. But with age she grew wiser about the world around her and soon realized her mothers pain was her father doing.

"So it'll be normal again if I take these...?" she asked slowly, looking back at the young therapist.

He gave a short laugh before nodding "Hopefully they will, even so. I'd like you just to seclude you another appointment just so we can see if anything changes or doesn't work" he murmured, handing her his business card with the date of her appointment written upon.

Slight dread filled her as she took it from him, she knew it was stupid to think the pills were going to fix everything and she needn't see William ever again but she was so desperate for her old life back that she'd thought so anyway. Rising from her seat, she flattened the crinkles on her pale blue skirt and shrugged the small handbag over her shoulder. "Well, thank you...William I'll see you next week." she said quietly as she walked for the door, she didn't know what else to say really, after the swell emotions she had bleed, all she wanted to do now was get out of the crushing quiet room.

"Remember you can contact me at anytime, if there is anything you need" He gave her a small nod as she closed the door.

The dead crunched under foot as Florence's boots dragged along the dirty foot path, from walking out of the office she'd been left feeling relieved, confused and flustered.

Even since she had turned the eighteen the visions had began, it simply with started with seeing a lone figure standing in the shadows, usually at the foot of her bed as she fell asleep. Sure, it had scared her out of her wits but eventually she began to ignore it, putting it down to her just seeing things, that was until she began to see the reflection. She'd stood at the pale pink basin, the one in the bathroom across from her bedroom. Scrubbing her hands with rosewater soap, her eyes had briefly flickered to the mirror when she saw the blank faced women. She'd nearly jumped out of her skin from fright.

Then they'd both just stared and stared, Florence wide eyed and the women emotionless. She was odd looking women, odd in attractive kind of way. Ebony curls reached down to her hips, rosy cherub lips and sheet white skin. The thing that struck Florence was the women's eyes, they were same oddly grey colors of her own and the same slanted birth mark sat just below her cheek bone. And as her eyes fluttered close for a brief blink the women was gone when she reopened them. From then on she'd see in mirrors or on reflections of glass and porcelain, always disappearing when Florence blinked or opened her mouth to try and speak to her. Apparently that hadn't been enough for fate though as when she fell asleep a thin figure would lean over and whisper quietly in her ear.

The women had a sort of soft but husky voice and as she urgently whispered in Florence's ear she could feel a cold breath on the shell of her ears, sending little fearful up the base of her spine. The language was light and soft, slightly like Latin but echoed with something throaty and rough. Florence hadn't never put her finger on what it was, she'd never understood what she was saying either, all she knew that it was some kind of warning.

A buzzing on her left hip alerted her as delft finger dipped into her skirt pocket and pulled out the ringing phone, it was her mother. "Hello?"

" _Flo,_ _I'm on my way to pick you up. Are you still at the library?"_ the voice came from the receiver, words recited with a thick french accent.

Fear shot hot through Florence's veins. "O-oh no, I'm actually on my home now" she murmured as her steps became hurried.

 _"Oh? I see, well where are you now?"_

Her eyes quickly scanned her surroundings "I'm near the Grimly cafe."

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line " _I thought you went the library-."_

 _"_ I did! I did...I um- was just walking Maria home" she quickly shot back, hoping that would satisfy her mother.

 _"Okay, Okay well wait there, I'll be see you in five"_ she mother chirped back before hanging up.

Stuffing her phone back in her pocket, relief washed over her. Perhaps it was ridiculous to keep this from her mother, but she didn't want her to worry about her daughter or what the rest of the family would say.

A few minutes later she spotted the familiar dark colored sedan speeding her way, she watched as

She watched as pulled to a sharp halt near the gutter. Wincing at her driving skills, Florence opened the passenger door and sat myself inside the warmth of the car.

"Why were you in such a rush?" She asked, buckling myself up as I looked over at usually calm women who seemed she was about to break down any minute.

"Well you see honey, something rather abrupt has come up" her mother hastily murmured.

"Come up?"Florence questioned back with raised eyebrows, confusion crawling into my tone.

The older peered down at her with her heavy lashed grey eyes and sighing "Lets go eat out someplace, we can talk about it there".

Unlike Florence, her mother was a strong and confident, always being straight forward with everyone. Perhaps the only thing they shared were the heavy grey eyes, looking as though they were going to fall asleep at any moment and the thick curly hair, although hers was a dark brown to Flo's pale blonde that she had received from her father. Though at the moment the normally straight forward women was a nervous wreak.

"Mum, Tell me whats going on." Florence asked more urgently

Letting out yet another sigh as to Florences dismay pressed her forehead to the steering wheel for a moment. "God I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry but-" she paused for a moment, swallowing a bit and adding to her growing anxiety. "But the company wants me to travel to Italy to check the designs for the new cafe's."

Blinking slowly, she frowned as vexation entered her tone. " _And?_ "

"Well I mean I could be there for a year at the very least" she murmured quietly, looking at her sorrowfully.

"A year just to look at new designs?" Florence asked in disbelief. She knew my mother was often caught up in the company but this just sounded ridiculous.

"Of course not, I'll be over there going over constructing plans and doing redesigns- but thats not the point!" She huffed, getting more flustered. "While I'm gone you're going to need somewhere to stay, Flo."

The blonde shrugged. "So I can just stay with grandm-"

"You know your grandmother can't look after you anymore, she's too old for that burden."

This caused a slight pout on the girls lips as she slumped back in defeat, she knew her grandma was old but Florence was a child either. She was fully capable of somewhat looking after herself. "So where am I staying then?"

Giving her a side eye, her mother sighed heavily "I made arrangements with your cousin."

Cold nervousness began to swirl in Florence's stomach. "Which cousin exactly?"

Pause. "Integra".

Florence turned to her mother, mouth agape. Closed. Agape again. She must of looked like a goldfish. "Y-you can't be serious! You do know that, that cousin you specifically talking was almost murdered by my father. And now you're suggesting I stay with that cousin for a damn year."

Her mother thin hand tightened on the steering as her knuckles began to turn white. "Florence, listen to me. Your father was a bad person, a terrible person but that doesn't make you one just because your his daughter. And Integra isn't silly enough to belief your are like him just because you share blood. Now I know this hard but please just do this for me, Flo."

Swallowing the retorts and argument that built up in her throat, "Alright, Your right, I'll be fine." She said with a tight smile.

Florence had been selfish in the past but she knew how much her mothers work meant to her, so now wasn't the time. She'd just have to bite the bullet and pray that her cousin woudn't be has frightening as her reputation made her out to be.

 _Though she didn't realize that Integra wasn't the only frightening thing in the hellsing manor._


End file.
